Boiler



1,636,3 1 July 19, 1927. L. D SUMMERS 9 BOILER Filed Nov. 12. 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wilnesses PT: 1 i I INVENTOR:

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Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

LOUIS D. S, 01' SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T LEADER IRON WORKS,

' OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

BOILER.

Application filed November 12, 1825. Serial No. 68,518.

This invention relates to boilers that are adapted to be used with gas and oil for heating water orgenerating steam and in this case preferably used as a hot water boiler,

5 an object bein in this case further to provide a boiler t at will generate a maximum of heat in a minimum of space occupied by the boiler.

Another object of this invention is the production of a boiler adapted to be simple of construction, economical to manufacture and. decidedly practical in, every way both in manufacture and use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a boiler which may be practical and well adapted to use as a hot water boiler in such a way that before the water leaves the boiler for distribution over the house it will be at its maximum temperature due to so its application at that point just over the point where the process of combustion of gases is most complete.

A further object of my invention is to provide a boiler that will accomplish the above mentioned results while in the meantime it accomplishes these results in a way that is adapted to secure the benefits of the heat from the products of combustion as long as the heated ases are permitted to remain in the tubes before they are slowly discharged in their coolest state.

With these and other objects in view this invention concerns certain improvements in boiler construction the details of which will be hereinafter explained in the following paragraphs and il ustrated in the drawings forming a part of these specifications.

Referring to the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the boiler of my invention ex osing to view the interior thereof.

ig. 2 is a top view of my boiler. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with an upper and a lower portion cut-away exposing to view details of construction and arrangement of the boiler.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the boiler A-B Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the boiler MN Fig 3. ig. 6 is a cross section of the boiler X-Y fiefore referring in detail to the numerals designating like parts in the several figures attention is directed to several of the im- I portant things that should be considered in the design of a boiler, made for the purpose for which this boiler is designed.

At the present time there is a tendency to the increased use of gas and liquid fuels for heating houses and the like and since in the past it has been more generally the custom to use coal for heating it is evident that achange in boiler design would be decidedly advlsable.

For instance when burning any kind of fuel it is necessa to have a sufficiently large combustion c amber in order that a suitable quantity of air may be mixed with the fuel to secure complete combustion before the flame touches any surface in order to secure best results.

It is necessary to maintain a temperature of 900-1600 degrees Fahrenheit in order to roduce combustion and if the flame, while in the process of combustion, tduches any surface with a temperature less than approximately 900 degrees it will break down the carbon, forming what is commonly known as soot, thereby creating a fuel loss.

When combustion is completed a physical energy results which is called heat' manifestingitself in two forms entirely different from each other, one form known as radiant energy traveling at right angles to the source at a velocity of 186,000 miles per second manifesting itself only when it strikes the surface and if thissurface does not absorb the energy the my will reflect until it strikes other surfaces and so on until it has spent its energy on surfaces. This form of energy will pass through a space filled with air or gases without changing the temperature of the same.

The second form of heat that is produced is known as the heat of convection or the heat that exists in hot gases and this heat in order to be transmitted to a heating surface must come in actual contact with the surface in order to transmit the heat thereto.

In order to produce a boiler, therefore, of high efficiency it can be readily seen that it is advisable to desi the same so that the greatest heat in v0 ume together with the highest temperature may be brought in contact with the water chamber of the boiler where it is desired to heat the water to the highest temperature possible before it is distributed out from the boiler, while in the meantime such a boiler should provide a means of bringing the cooler gases or prodnets of combustion into contact with the coolest part of the boiler so as to produce counter-flow or a constant movement of the water from a low level to a higher level in the boiler, caused by the rising of the Water as it gets hotter.

The heatin surface of a boiler is comosed of a irect heating surface andan indirect heating surface and it is the intention that the direct heating surface be adapted to absorb the heat generated by the radiant energy emanating from the source of heat while the indirect heating surface is adapted to absorb the heat from the hot gases known as the heat of convection.

It will therefore be seen that the direct heating surface should completely surround a source of heat as far as it is practicable to st full utilization of the radiant energy, and on the other hand the indirect heating surface should be so arranged as to permit the hot gases to stratify or settle as they cool because the gases are heavier as they get cooler.

It will be seen therefore that to design and construct a practical boiler it will be necessary to recognize the chemical and physical laws involved in its successful operation and to also recognize the fact that its desi 11 must be such that it will be practical to bui d and easy to maintain.

By referring to the drawings it will be noted that the source of heat 2 which in this case would be the oil burner is adapted to be surrounded by heating surface so as to fully utilize the radiant ener and it will also be noted that the uprig t combustion chamber 3 within casing -1-- provides a sufficiently long space for the movement of the gases to enable them to complete combustion by the time they reach the uplper combustion chamber --4-- where we nd the hottest gases in contact with dome 5 where it heats the water -7 in the upper water chamber between dome 5- and dome -6-. The water in this upper chamber by being in this position gets the greatest applicatlon of heat at a time just before the hot water leaves the boiler through pipe 20 at the top of the upper dome. It will be seen that combustion chamber -3 provides speedy movement of the products of combustion upward so that it reaches the upper combustion chamber 4 just at the time the process of combustion is completed and the gases are then hottest after which the gases will start to stratify, et cooler, and gradually settle to lower leve s through tubes 8 until they pass out of the lower end of the tubes after dissipating the greater portion of their heat and pass into the flue through pipe -21.

It is a well known fact that as the gases get cooler they become heavier and stratify and settle by gravity and it will be particularly noted in the structural details of this device that arrangements will be provided whereby the combined area of the total number of small outlet flues for the gases is much greater than the one upright combustion chamber which means in effect that the outgoing rate of movement of the gases would e reduced and that in passing out through a greater number of flues over a greater combined area the gases are brought in contact with a greater surface area to be heated by the out-going gases which means that practically every cubic inch of the heated products of combustion will have had a chance to transmit a greater part of that heat to some part of the tubing before passing out the The waste gas outlet pipe'2l, as shown in Fig. 1, has its end which connects to the casing 1, spaced from the rear wall of the lower end of the combustion chamber 3, andthe cold water return 14, has a branch projected through the gas exit pipe 21, and connected to the water jacket 13, encompassing the lower end of the combustion chamber 3. This branch pipe extends across the space between the pipe 21, and the wall 13, so as to be heated by the gases which egress from pipes 8, whereby the water is preheated to some extent before enterin chamber 13.

It will also be noted t at the combined area of all of the outlet gas tubes will be so much greater than the area of the upright combustion chamber that the speed of movement of the gases after being distributed to all the outlet pipes would be naturally proortional to the movement through the comustion chamber and it is that slower'movement out through the tubes that enables the gases to slowly dissipate their heat transmitting it by conduction to the tubes as they leave the lower end of the tube.

By observing the drawings it will be seen that this boiler is so desi ned as to make it easily and quickly assem led as well as to make it compact.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the hot water is distributed out from the boiler through pipe 20'- after reaching its highest temperature in the upper water chamber section 7 and as the water comes back through the cold water return 14 it comes into the lower water chamber 13 where it receives its first application of heat from the source of heat 2- which is the oil burner attached to pi e 15 fitting through door -23 of t e base 22. This lower water chamber connects with the central water chamber 9 through pipe 16-- and this ipe is jointed at joint 27. The water in t 1e central water chamber -9 receives some heat through combustion chamber wall 3 and some from the outlet flue 8 but it will be seen that as the water is heated to a greater temperature gradually it will pass out of central water chamber -9 into upper water chamber -7 through pipes 18- and -19- as communicating pipes between the central and upper water chamber.

It will be seen at this point that a plurality of communicating pipe connections are provided between the central and upper water chamber for the reason that the number of communicatin pipes that would be required would depend on the speed of movement of the water and too the rapidity of the heating process.

Pipes --8 and upright combustion chamber -3 are all secured to an upper plate -10 and a lower plate --11- made water tight and shown in more details in Figures 4, 5, and 6 which are cross sections in difl'erent positions of elevation alon the boiler.

It will be seen that the upper ome section of the boiler is adapted to be secured to the central section through flanges -25 and --26- or any other number of flan e connections that may be required and t at the upper dome section makes connection with the central section at joint -24- and it will also be seen that the central section after. be ing seated upon the bottom section makes connection and water circulation at joints -27- and -28- (see Fig. 1).

An opening -17- in the walLof the boiler over the source of heat -.-2- is provided for observation purposes.

To those skilled in the heating art it will be evident that certain minor details of construction may be varied and would be permissible as long as such changes stay within the spirit and scope of this invention but the referred design and method of operation has been illustrated in the drawings and described in the above paragraphs.

Having thus described the merits and character of my invention and details of construction thereof I claim:

1. A boiler comprising a vertical cylindri cal shell, a water inlet isposed at the lower end thereof, upper andlower tube sheets closing the ends of said shell, a fire box surrounded by a water leg located beneath a portion of the lower tube sheet, said water le connected with the water inlet to the boiler, a combustion chamber disposed eccentrically within said shell and extending from the fire box to the u per tube sheet, a relatively thin water cham er connected to the upper por-- tion of said shell and disposed directly above the upper tube sheet so as to form a passageway for the products of combustion between said chamber and said tube sheet, a hot water outlet from said chamber, said chamber being so situated relative to the combustion .chamber as to be exposed to the products 01' combustion at their hottest point, a plurality of fire tubes, having a cross-sectional area in excess of the cross-sectional area of the combustion chamber extendin from the upper tube sheet to the lower .tu sheet and connecting said passageway with a smoke box adjacent said fire box, and a horizontal outlet for the waste gases from said smoke box.

2. In a boiler of the character described, the combination comprising a vertical cylindrical shell having a water inlet at its lowor end, and having up r and lower tube sheets closing the ends 0 said shell, an eccentrically disposed fire box encompassed by a water leg positioned below a ortion of said lower tube sheet, an uprig t combustion chamber eccentrically disposed within said shell connectin said firebox and lower tube sheet with sai upper tube sheet, said shell and tube sheets encompassing a central water chamber eommunic'atively connected with said lower water leg and with a relatively thin dome-sha d water chamber detachably connected wit said central water chamber through water pipes, said upper water chamber provided with a to water outlet and disposed directly above t e upper tube sheet forming a passa e-way for the hot roducts of combustion tween said cham r and said tube sheet, said upper chamber so positioned relative to the combustion chamber as to be exposed to the products of combustion at their hottest point, a plurality of fire tubes having a cross-sectional area in excess of the cr0ss-sectional area of the combustion chamber extendin from the u per tube sheet to the lower C1570 sheet and connecting said passage-way with a lower smoke box ad'acent said fire box and a horizontal outlet or the waste gases from said smoke box.

3. In a boiler of the character described, the cooperative combination com rising an upright shell enclosing upper and ower tube sheets connected by a plurality of fire tubes spaced about an eccentrically disposed upri ht combustion chamber, said shell and tu sheets enclosing a central water chamber, an upper and relativel thin domeshaped water or steam cham r detachably connected by pipe means with said central water chamber and disposed above said up per tube sheet so as to form a passage-way for the hot products of combustion from said combustion chamber, at their hottest point, said fire tubes having a combined cross-sec-, tional area in excess of the cross-sectional area of the combustion chamber, and connecting said passage-way with a lower smoke box for waste gases and a horizontal outlet for said lower smoke box and a water leg disposed below. a portion of said lower tube sheet, encompassin an eccentrically disposed fire box, said fire box registering with said combustion chamber, said water leg connected with a Water inlet for the boiler.

4. In a fluid heater, a cylindrical water chambered casing having upper and lower headers, an upright combustion chamber eccentrically disposed in the casing and project ing below the lower header and having its lower portion water-jacketed, a heating element in the lower end of the combustion chamber disposed below the plane of the lower header, upright fire tubes extending through the upper and lower headers, an arch walled gas chamber establishing communication between said combustion chamber and said upright fire tubes, :1 horizontal waste gas flue outlet pipe connected to the casing below the level of said lower header and a lower gas chamber establishing communication between the bottom of the upright fire tubes and said gas outlet pipe, a cold water return pipe connected to the lower water chamber wall of the casing above said lower header and having an extension projectin into said gas outlet pipe, and extendmg t rough sai lower gas chamber and communicatively connecting with said lower water jacket encompassing the lower end of said combustion chamber; said lower water jacket communicatively connected with a central water chamber above said lower header, and an upper relatively thin arched hot water and steam chamber disposed above said upper arch walled gas chamber and communicatively connected with said central Water chamber.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal this 6th day of November A. D. 1925.

LOUIS D. SUMMERS. 

